Instrument for obtaining averages.



APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

w iltmwow tremity of the index which latter extends be- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

LYNN A. QUIVEY, or coza n, NEBRASKA.

INSTRUMENT FOR OBTAINING AVERAGES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYNN A. Quiver, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Cozad, in the county of Dawson and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instruments for Obtaining Averages; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to calculating machines, and more especially to those employing a single disk; and the objectof the same is to produce a simple machine by which the.

average of several numbers may be quickly obtained. This object is accomplished by the construction hereinafter described and claimed and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of this machine complete with a portion of the frame broken away to show the movable disk beneath it; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings is shown a frame'consist ing of a solid back a) which is preferably square, a front 6 square in outline and super imposed over said back and having a circular opening 0 and around the same a series of graduations herein marked from 0 or zero to 119, and any suitable means (i for securing said front and back together. Between said back and, front is disposed a disk 6 larger than said circular opening 0 so as to leave a flange extending beneath and held in place by the frame, and just inside this flange f is formed an annular series of perforations g which will of course be exposed through the opening 0 in the frame. The

disk is mounted upon a central pivot it passing through the back a, and on the same pivot over the disk is mounted a swinging index 6, whose body is deflected so that its active edge 7' extends outward from the pivot on a true radius over the disk to the exneath the flange f and is therefore hidden from View and held in place thereby. I prefer to make the disk of greater size than the opening so that the edge of the. former will pass under the edge of the frame, and I prefer to make the'index of greater length than a radius of the opening so that'its outer end will also pass under the inner edge of the frame. The latter I prefer to secure only at Specification of Letters Patent- Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Application filed November 2, 1911. Serial No. 658,221.

may suffer no injury in like manner at its outer end. The face of the dial is inscribed in the present embodiment of my invention with ten rings or circles, the outermost of which, 70, is marked with graduations equal in. number to those around the frame; the next r ng Z inside the outermost ring A: be-

ing divided into one half as many gradua-' tions; the next ring m inside that numbered Z being provided with one third as many .graduations as in the outermost ring; and so on throughout the ten rings. The face of the dial and all the rings thereon are divided 'by a diametric line a passing through the pivot h and completely across the-disk, into a plus or addition half 0 and a minus or subtraction half 72; all the graduations on one side thereof, and perhaps the figures also, being marked in black, and all those on the other side in some other color red. The zero mark occurs on the line a, and the black or plus figures in one half 0 read away from said mark and the red or minus figures 0n theio-ther half of the disk read in the opposite direction away from said mark. The active edge of the index i is also inscribed with ten marks properly indicated to correspond with the various rings on the disk.

It is to be understood that this device could'be made larger or smaller,but I have illustrated and described the same in one embodiment which is sufficient ,to show its const-ructionand use.

Let us assume that weare to find the average of the ten numbers 38, 50, 42, 47, 26, 33, 41, 44, 50 and 54. The user will first guess at the average in order to secure a base number and we may assume that he guesses 40. He swings the disk: on its pivot until the zero thereon is opposite 40 on the frame. Then he placesthe tip of his pencil in the hole which is opposite 38 onthe margin, 38 being the first number of the series and places it in the hole opposite the above given, and moves the disk until the pencil point comes opposite the base number on the margin. He then raises his pencil second number 1n the series above given, which is 50, and again moves the disk until his pencil point. is opposite the base number 40. This process is repeated for all of the ten numbers, after which the index bar 1' is turned on the pivot until its active edge j alines with the base number 40. Now. as there were ten numbers,'he reads in the innermost or tenth ring which is indicated by the numeral along said active edge of the index, and in the innermost ring on the disk he finds that said active edge stands exactly between 2 and. 3, or 23;. Hence he adds (as the figures are black and indicate an addition) to the 40 assumed to be the result, making a total of 42.}- which is the exact average of the series of numbers above given. \Vith the parts standing as seen in Fig. 1 where the zero on the disk is opposite to in the frame, it will be noticed that when the operator follows th instructions above and places his pencil in the hole opposite 38 which is the first of the series of numbers, that hole occurs in the red or minus half of the disk. The reason for this is because 38 is less than the number 40 which he has assumed to be the answer. It will also be noticed that when he places his pencil in the hole op posite the number on th frame for the second number in the series above given, that hole occurs in the black or plus half of the disk, the reason being because 50 is larger than 40 which he assumed to be the answer. Furthermore, in placing his pencil in the hole opposite 38 and moving to.the base number the disk is turned in one direction; whereas, in the second step of the operation above described, the disk is turned in the other direction. These opposite motions again are proper because the number 38 is below the average and the number 50 above it. From this explanation will be seen the necessity in an averaging machine of dividing the pivoted dial into a plus and a minus half, whereas in a machine that simply adds or subtracts the dial will be rotated in one direction rather than oscillated. Vhere I have herein described and claimed the two halves of this dial as being of different colors, I desire it to be understood that I intend to cover any means for distinguishing the scales and figures on one half from those on the other, although doubtless a difference in the coloring by which they are marked upon a white or other background would be the simplest means for distinguishing one half from the other at a glance.

As suggested above, the dimensions of this device may be carried to a greater degree than illustrated if it. be desired to enlarge its field of action.

\Vhat. is claimed as new is: The herein described instrument for obtaining averages comprising a back, a. frame carried thereby and secured only at its edges thereto, the frame having a circular opening and inscribed around said opening with a series of graduations numbered serially, a disk pivoted to the back concentric with and larger than said opening and having a series of perforations struck on a circle slightly smaller than the opening and inscribed with a serial series of numbers start ing with zero and extending away from each other around the disk o'ppositc said perform tions until they meet, the disk being divided on a diametric line passing through its center and said zero point. and its opposite halves differently colored, a series of concentric rings on the disk inside its perforations all inscribed with graduations ditl'cr ently spaced and serially'numbered away from said zero line, and an index mounted on said pivot above the disk and longer than a radius of said opening. said index having an active edge truly radial to the disk and inscribed with graduations and numbers corresponding with said rings, the edge of the disk beyond its perforations extending under the frame and the outer end of the in deX extending also under said frame and over the edge of the disk, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of 'two subscribing witnesses.

LYNN A. QUIVEY. \Vitnesses:

M. (J. Smyrna, WM. MoLAueI-imN. 

